Continuing improvements in microelectronics circuit design and fabrication have produced components of increased signal processing complexity and speed and which occupy a decreasing (higher circuit density) circuit packaging volume. Packaging and support structures for a variety of (low frequency) integrated circuit components have included the use of in-line packages in which a set of leads or pins that protrude from the sides of a plastic package engage conductive tracks on a printed wiring board. For high frequency (e.g. microwave) applications, the critical dimensional tolerances and heat transfer characteristics of the devices have not only prevented a practical packaging for the chips, but have resulted in the use of mounting mechanisms that make the chip carriers effectively non-replaceable once they have been affixed to a signal interface/support structure. For example, at frequencies below 20 GHz, it has been conventional practice to employ screw-down open chips or solder attached hermetic chips. At higher frequencies however, the dimensions of the attachment components constitute resonance anomalies, necessitating the use of high precision customized coupling schemes, such as direct die attachments, which effectively make the chips non-replaceable. (For illustrations of the current state of the art of microwave chip carrier packaging, attention may be directed to an article entitled "Microwave Chip Carrier For Monolithic Integrated Circuits" by D A. Koopman-Larson et al, GaAs IC Symposium, 1985, pp. 155-158 and an article entitled "A 30 GHz Monolithic Two Stage Low Noise Amplifier" by L. C. T. Liu et al, GaAs IC Symposium, 1985, pp. 7-10.)